Article Contributed by Gratefulweb
Published on 2026-03-30
Bear’s Sonic Journals: Concordance —150 Years of Charles Ives. Piano Sonata No. 2: “Concord, Mass., 1840 - 1860”
The Owsley Stanley Foundation presents Bear’s Sonic Journals: Concordance — 150 Years of Charles Ives, a two-CD release celebrating the legacy of visionary American composer Charles Ives. Set for release on December 15, 2025, the collection bridges past and present through two performances of Ives’s monumental Piano Sonata No. 2: “Concord, Mass., 1840–1860.”
Disc one features a historic recording of pianist John Kirkpatrick, captured live at the Marin Veterans Memorial Auditorium on March 7, 1974. The performance was recorded by Grateful Dead soundman Owsley “Bear” Stanley alongside bassist Phil Lesh as part of Ives’s centennial celebration.
Disc two presents a contemporary counterpart: pianist Donald Berman, the final student of Kirkpatrick, performing the Concord Sonata live in Concord, Massachusetts on February 8, 2025. The second disc also includes Other Transcendentalists, a collection of new works commissioned by Berman, featuring compositions by Eve Beglarian, David Sanford, Marti Epstein, and Elena Ruehr.
The release marks the first new live recording produced by the Owsley Stanley Foundation and highlights a direct artistic lineage from Kirkpatrick to Berman. The project also reflects the deep connection between the Grateful Dead and Ives, with Phil Lesh citing the composer as a formative influence.
The two-disc set contains 12 tracks spanning nearly two hours of music and includes a 112-page booklet featuring a profile of Phil Lesh and his relationship to Ives, a new interview with Donald Berman, and contributions from Tom Constanten, Dave Schools, and Graham Lesh. Artwork is provided by Concord-area artist Susan Richardson and Grammy Award-winning designer Susan Archie.
Track Listing:
Disc 1 — John Kirkpatrick, Piano
Marin Veterans Memorial Auditorium — March 7, 1974
Piano Sonata No. 2: “Concord, Mass., 1840–1860” — Charles E. Ives
Disc 2 — Donald Berman, Piano
Concord, Massachusetts — February 8, 2025
Piano Sonata No. 2: “Concord, Mass., 1840–1860”
Other Transcendentalists:
i. As Syllable from Sound (2023) — Eve Beglarian
ii. Underground (2020) — David Sanford
iii. The Piano at the Palace Beautiful (2019) — Marti Epstein
iv. Summer on the Lakes, in 1843 (2018) — Elena Ruehr
Release Details:
Artist: Charles Ives
Title: Bear’s Sonic Journals: Concordance — 150 Years of Charles Ives
Label: Owsley Stanley Foundation
Street Date: December 15, 2025
Format: 2 CDs
“Charles Ives was welded into my DNA,” said Phil Lesh. “The piece is made from simultaneously sounding layers… all woven together within a fantastical flux of sound.”
Donald Berman added, “Ives saw into the future, allowing us to experience his nonconformist music the way we wanted to hear it.”
